Souta Kiryuu ignored the desperate pleas of the pirate prisoners. Not one of them was even a Devil Fruit user—mere trash unworthy of his attention.
He strode straight to the deepest part of the prison, where he found the once-feared Dissolver, Bark, now reduced to a broken husk.
This brutal man had once shouted before Trafalgar Law, "My freedom is to kill whenever I want, to live by nothing but my desires!" He had butchered civilians and razed towns in Swallow Island's Happy Town.
And yet, here he was—beaten like a dog, a cautionary example displayed by the North Sea Navy.
"You're here to recruit me?" Bark's swollen, bloodshot eyes glimmered with longing. After years of confinement, he finally glimpsed a chance to escape the hell of this prison.
"Stop right there, Souta Kiryuu! I won't let you release a single pirate!"
Rear Admiral Kino stormed into the prison, his killing intent sharp enough to cut the air. He stared at the half-dragon figure looming in the shadows.
"All units, open fire! Kill them all! Even if we slaughter every last prisoner, not a single one leaves here alive!"
Kino's command froze the pirates in shock—even Souta raised an eyebrow. To see a marine officer as ruthless as Sakazuki, willing to kill indiscriminately rather than risk an escape—this was rare.
"What are you waiting for?! Fire! I'll take responsibility!"
Kino roared, charging forward with his blade to buy his men time.
The marines hesitated only a heartbeat before unleashing a storm of bullets. Gunfire thundered through the prison, screams echoing in its stone halls.
Clang!
Kino's blade, coated with the faint shimmer of Armament Haki, struck Souta's arm—and shattered instantly. His scalp prickled with dread. That had been his strongest blow, and it hadn't even scratched the monster's defense.
"Your courage is commendable. But your strength… is lacking."
With a single kick, Souta hurled Kino into the prison wall, shattering the reinforced stone. The Rear Admiral was buried in rubble, unable to rise.
Vwoom!
A wave of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted, knocking unconscious the marines still firing. Only a handful of officers remained standing, and they too crumpled moments later.
"Anyone left who can still speak?" Souta's voice rumbled.
He had little use for cowards. Anyone who survived both gunfire and his Haki would have earned a place in his Dragon Crew.
"Pity. None."
Disappointed, he kicked open Bark's cell and hauled the chained man up by his collar.
"Thank you, my lord! I'll serve you loyally forever!" Bark cried, trembling with joy.
"Who said I was keeping you?"
Souta's fist cracked against Bark's skull, knocking him unconscious. This pathetic pirate was nothing more than material—a candidate subject for Vegapunk's next experiment. His Dissolver Fruit had potential, perhaps even worthy of a Seraphim.
With Bark slung over his shoulder, Souta transformed into a dragon and blasted out of the prison, leaving behind ruins and corpses.
Long after he had gone, Kino clawed his way out of the rubble, bloodied and broken. His eyes burned with terror. Souta Kiryuu was a monster—stronger than the Vinsmoke siblings, stronger than anything the North Sea had ever faced.
That 500 million bounty was no exaggeration. If anything, it was too low.
Staggering to his men, Kino was relieved to find most were alive. Even his colonels and lieutenant colonels had only suffered heavy injuries, not death. The pirates, though, were in pieces.
For a moment, Kino wondered bitterly—had Souta shown mercy, or was he himself the crueler man for ordering their slaughter?
He filed his report to Marineford without hesitation. He admitted to ordering the execution of the prisoners, fully ready to face punishment.
But instead of reproach, Headquarters shifted all blame onto Souta. They even spread word that Souta had butchered the prisoners, crafting the story to stoke hatred against him among pirates and civilians alike.
Meanwhile, Souta Kiryuu returned to Swallow Island's Happy Town, tossing Bark at Vegapunk's feet for study.
The scientist Wolf showed no emotion for his son. Perhaps, as an experimental subject for the world's greatest scientist, Bark was better off than rotting in prison.
"Captain, you raided a Marine branch without me. That hurts." Lafitte's smile was full of mock regret. For him, slaughtering marines or pirates was always a pleasure.
"Did Trafalgar Law call back?" Souta ignored the complaint, changing the subject. Such a mission didn't require the whole crew.
The raid had taken him a day or two, and Law should be returning to Swallow Island soon.
"He said this afternoon. But I think he'll come early… to try and rescue Wolf." Lafitte's eyes gleamed as he glanced at the underground port, waiting for Law's submarine.
Souta nodded. "Yes. With his cunning, it's possible." He appreciated Lafitte's foresight. Having subordinates who could anticipate threats pleased him.
And sure enough, within the hour, a transparent ripple expanded into the underground lab. A young man appeared beside Wolf—spotted hat, yellow long-sleeved shirt, katana on his back.
Trafalgar Law.
He tried to teleport Wolf away instantly.
But Kuma moved just as swiftly. The towering Warlord appeared at Law's side, his paw-shaped hand unleashing a compressed air blast.
"Uwah!"
Law slammed against the lab wall, spitting blood, his ROOM collapsing instantly.
This was the gulf between a Warlord of the Sea and a rising Supernova. Without Haki, even Law's surgical fruit was useless.
There had never been any chance of victory.